This invention relates to a swabbing method and apparatus for use by physicians and technicians for collecting a culture as from various areas of a patient's body, such as the ears, the nose and throat, and for keeping a culture moist and alive for a period of time after it is collected or for use in identifying the bacteria of the culture.
In general, this is accomplished through the use of a container which receives the culture-carrying swab and bathes the swab in a culture-sustaining liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,450,129-Avery et al discloses a particular container unit for this purpose. The container carries its own supply of liquid in a frangible ampoule along with a swab, all of which is packaged in a sanitary wrapper. After the swab has been removed from the wrapper and container and a culture has been taken, the swab is inserted back into the container, a cap is applied to the end of the container and the frangible ampoule is broken so as to bathe the absorbent tip of the swab in the culture-sustaining liquid which was encapsulated in the ampoule.
Another container is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,220-Monaghan. The container also carries its own sealed supply of liquid below a first sealed area in the tube and the swab itself, prior to use, is located in the tube such that the absorbent tip is positioned immediately above the sealed area and below a restricted area. After the culture is taken, the swab is reinserted into the container, through the restricted area and the sealed area so as to reach the culture-sustaining liquid at the bottom of the tube. The sealed area immediately above the culture-sustaining liquid no longer forms a seal but permits the air to enter the area of the absorbent tip and the culture-sustaining liquid.
Another container is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,163,160-Cohen which utilizes a member including a valve initially positioned above the culture-sustaining liquid. After the culture has been taken, the bottom of the container may be squeezed so as to force the culture-sustaining liquid upwardly through the valve into saturating contact with the absorbent tip of the swab. There is no movement of the valve member in response to movement of the swab or the absorbent tip. In fact, the absorbent tip of the swab does not contact the valve member.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,303-Pickering discloses a flexible swab container in combination with a clip which may be utilized to form a seal between the flexible container and the elongated member which extends to the absorbent tip of the swab which is submersed in a culture-sustaining liquid. Still another sampling unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,388,043-Ingvorsen.
German Pat. No. 285,835 discloses a container including a valve member for use in moistening a swab with a disinfecting liquid. However, the swab itself is not used to force the plug through the disinfecting liquid. Rather, a plunger connected to the plug from the other side of the swab moves the plug through a tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,508,653-Coleman discloses a plug having a valve for serum separation. It does not however suggest that such a valve could be utilized in combination with a swab stick to control the introduction of a culture-sustaining liquid into contact with the absorbent tip of the swab.